A large variety of fluid or semi-fluid products are sold today in can-like containers having a removable lid with a lip for engagement in an annular flange about the container's top. The most common commodity held in such a container is paint, however, fluids such as glues, varnishes, stains, lubricating oils and cooking oils are among the numerous other commodities sold in these containers.
These containers have a number of problems associated with them. First, there is the problem of dispensing the fluid from the container. Often, this is done by dipping an application tool, most commonly a paint brush, into the container in order to collect fluid. Often it is necessary to wipe the brush on the annular flange about the container's top to remove excess fluid and prevent dripping. Such action, however, tends to clog the annular flange of the container so that the removable lid is difficult to re-seal on the container. As a result, once opened, the fluid contents of a container often dry out due to air exposure before they can be completely used up.
Despite these problems, it is still desirable to dispense a fluid from the standard container in which it is originally packaged rather than transferring the fluid to a specially constructed dispensing container. Special dispensing containers present an additional cost and the transfer process can be messy and time consuming.
Therefore, there exists a need for a fluid dispenser that can be attached to a standard container and prior art devices for such a dispenser exist.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,838,490 to Lerum discloses a cover, brush holder and squeezer for fluid containers for attachment to the top of a container. The device includes a fairly complex combined brush holder and squeezer attachment that is hingedly attach to the cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,784 to Moore, Jr. discloses a floating paint brush holder for attachment in a standard container. No provision is made for sealing the container and preventing the fluid from drying out.
For certain applications, such as applying paint using a roller brush, it is necessary to dispense the paint into a special container. The present invention also includes an embodiment that can be used with a roller brush.